Local Legend 24

A hard and bouldery route that is serious to lead. It is named in honour of local legend David Davies.

Start:

The route is found on Africa Ledge, Table Mountain, and cuts through the zig-zags of Atlantic Crag. A couple of metres to the right of the Oddshouter’s Outing tea cave is the Ruminating Crag chimney. Immediately beyond the chimney is a pillar with an ugly brown crack and wall to its right. Local Legend commences a couple of metres further right in the centre of the white wall. Africa Link-Up starts in the same place and goes off to the right.

Pitch 1 30m 19:

Step off the large sloping block onto the centre of the left-facing wall. Ascend the face in the centre (tricky lead). At 15m reach a ledge then directly above ascend the right-facing wall finishing up its left edge to reach Upper Africa Ledge. Cross the ledge and scramble up 3m to stance on a big ledge one level below the overhanging white wall.

Pitch 2 12m 24:

Scramble up on the right to get to the overhanging recess. At this point the Atlantic Crag fourth pitch crack is 3m to the right. To the left is a massive undercut white wall. Ascend the recess trending rightwards, making use of the highest wired nut protection available. Turn the overhanging wall and with difficulty ascend the easier angled rock face above your last protection (crux). Head directly up easy ground to stance on the large ledge. This pitch is a serious lead.

Pitch 3 12m 22:

The face to the right is wildly undercut to start. Step up onto the microwave oven-sized block and clip the old piton. This pitch is an aid pitch on Little Jack Horner and the peg was placed in 1980. Stretch up to reach an edge with the left hand and a flat prong with the right. Crank hard to get up and ascend the difficult face towards the right. On easy ground head up and left and then right to a big ledge. This pitch is a serious lead.

Pitch 4 12m 18:

Head up broken ground to arrive at the big overhang above to the right of the hanging block. Rail out left on the block and then head up a crack to the ledge above. Walk rightwards to the end of the ledge.

Pitch 5 12m 20:

From the stance traverse to the right with hands at the level of the overhang to a bottomless recess. Pull into this recess. So far this is the famous crux of the classic Atlantic Crag. Now rail out wildly to the right to the dark and forbidding bottomless recess. Ascend this for 5m to a ledge. Continue up the steep wall ahead for another 4m to another blocky ledge and stance at the big detached flake.

Descent:

To abseil off the Africa Corner bolted anchors scramble up easy ground to the left for 25m. To finish at the cableway station scramble up to the right.